Titans Shock Wichita State with 6-2 Win

Wichita, Kansas - Clark Hardman was 2-for-4 with two RBI and Wes Roemer struck out eight over 6.2 innings of work as Cal State Fullerton upset No. 9 Wichita State with a 6-2 win at Eck Stadium Friday night in game one of the three-game non-conference series in Kansas.

Fullerton earned its 30th win of the year and improved to 30-18 while Wichita State fell to 42-15. Losing pitcher Travis Banwart dropped to 8-4 on the year.

Roemer faced just two over the minimum for the first six innings from the hill and enjoyed a 5-0 Titan lead going into the seventh inning. The junior improved to 8-5 on the year, surrendering just six hits, three in his final inning of work. Adam Jorgenson notched his seventh save of the season with 2.1 scoreless innings of work.

The Titans manufactured a pair of runs early off Shocker the right-hander Banwart. Singles by Josh Fellhauer and Nick Mahin in the top of the first, set up a John Curtis RBI-ground out giving the Titans the 1-0 lead to start things off. Banwart then set down seven in a row leading upto a John Curtis leadoff double in the fourth.

Khris Davis laid down a successful sacrifice bunt moving Curtis to third giving Evan McArthur the opportunity to drive home the Titans' second run of the game with a run-scoring sacrifice fly to center.

In the fifth, the Titans increased to a 3-0 lead as Hardman drove home Joe Scott from second with a single to center. Scott led off the frame with a double to the left-center gap with his first of three hits on the night.

Two innings later the same duo would combine for another run, this time with Scott leading off with a single, then Hardman blasting a double to right-center, bringing the Titan shortstop all the way around from first to score Fullerton's fourth unanswered run. Josh Fellhauer promptly singled home Hardman with a single up the middle, knocking out Branwart.

Roemer started off the seventh by inning picking up his seventh and eighth strikeouts of the night then seemed to hit a bit of a wall surrendering two singles, a double and a walk resulting in 2 Shocker runs. Tyler Hill's singe broke up the shutout driving home Conner Gillaspie, then Tyler Weber's RBI-double cut the Fullerton lead to 5-2. Weber's double was Roemer's last hitter as Adam Jorgenson game on and got the final out with a three-pitch strikeout to end the WSU rally.

Jorgenson faced just one over the minimum in relief of Roemer, striking out four including hill to end the game.

Matt Wallach's RBI-single added the Titans final run in the eighth inning driving home Curtis from second aboard on his second double of the night.

Fellhauer, Curtis, Hardman and Wallach all finished with two hits apiece and trailed Scott who tallied three on the night to lead all players. Josh Workman was the hit leader for the Shockers with a pair of singles in his first two at bats.

Game two in the series will begin at Noon Pacific Time on Saturday as Jeff Kaplan (8-3, 3.78 ERA) is on the hill for Cal State Fullerton facing Wichita State's Rob Musgrave (7-1, 2.89 ERA).